A New Beginning
by addiejoe
Summary: Fleeing the Western Airtemple, Katara is attacked by firebenders and Zuko is forced to bring back apart of him he thought was gone. After her rescue, the two benders must acknowledge their growing feelings before its too late. ZUTARA
1. Capture

_Disclaimer: I do not own Avatar the Last Airbender or any of its characters._

Katara watched Zuko training from a distance. She looked on in awe as she saw the fire easily move beside him with fluid motions and follow his graceful movements. Taking a deep breath, she approached him.

Zuko saw Katara walking towards her from her hiding place in the corner. He had known she was there the entire time and frankly, he was getting tired of showing off for the waterbender. Zuko gulped as he stopped his bending and he nervously watched her approach.

"Why am I acting this way?" he thought to himself as his heart raced and his stomach churned nervously with every step she took. "I never acted like this before."

"Zuko I'd like to thank you again for helping me bring my mother's killer to justice, I really appreciated it." she said with smile on her face.

"It's no problem Katara." he responded with a bashful smirk.

"I know but I'm just shocked that you would help me instead of Aang. I guess you really have changed." said Katara shyly.

"Thanks a lot, that means a lot coming for you." said Zuko with a smile on his face.

"Yeah…we should head back to the camp now." said Katara as she turned to walk away.

Zuko gazed longingly at her as she turned and saw her slender body take a few steps further. Even though he had known her for years, he just realized how truly beautiful the waterbender really was.

"Well are you coming?" she called back to him.

Zuko was jolted out of his thought as he heard Katara call out to him.

"Yeah I'm coming." he said as he sprinted to her side.

"Why are you running? You know I would have waited for you if you would've walked." she said with a small giggle.

Zuko turned bright red and looked down while he scratched the back of his head nervously.

"Well I just thought that you maybe…umm…never mind." he said as the two walked side by side back to the campsite.

Toph looked up as she felt the two benders approach, she had begun to worry about them because of their long absence but she knew that they would be fine together. Ever since they had gotten back from their mission they had been behaving strangely towards each other. Zuko was always nervous and blushing around her while Katara would always gaze longingly at him from a distance.

Sokka watched his sister and Zuko sit down beside Toph and a frown appeared on his face. Since they had gotten back from their mission to capture his mother's killer, Zuko and Katara had been flirting with each other constantly. Only just a few days ago he had to constantly keep an eye on his sister to make sure she didn't kill the firebender in his sleep. Now they were inseparable, like they couldn't stand to be away from each other.

"Where have you two been?" asked Suki with a hidden smirk on her face. Just because she was preoccupied with Sokka didn't mean that she hadn't noticed the difference in their relationship.

"I was training and Katara started talking to me so we decided to go for a little walk." said Zuko with a blush.

"Why do you ask?" said Katara with a curious frown on her face.

"No reason." said Suki.

Suki watched the two squirm in their seats and it took all of her willpower to keep her from laughing. Frankly she was tired of the constant hostilities that the two benders shared so this was a nice change. Ever since she had arrived from the Boiling Rock she had noticed that there was something about the two teens. Katara was always picking on Zuko and he just took it all in. Suki would often fall asleep to the sound of Katara yelling at him or mocking his firebending prowess. In her opinion, she found it funny that Katara ignored the others completely and her main focus was _always _on Zuko. Even when the two sparred together the fight had always seemed very passionate. It was only a matter of time now.

"Katara can you go get us some water from the river on the other side of the canyon? It's your turn and we're completely out." said Aang with an angry look on his face.

Aang also noticed the change in Katara and Zuko's relationship and he didn't like it. They were sitting _way_ to close to each other for just friends. Only a few days ago Katara hated Zuko and now it seemed that she couldn't be without him for a second. He guessed Katara was angry at whatever transpired in the crystal cave in Ba Sing Se because she had mentioned it three times to them already. Aang's big concern was that Katara cared way to much about the fire prince even though she didn't show it.

"Alright I'll be back in a second." she said as she stood to leave.

"Do you want me to come with you?" said Zuko quickly before blushing at Suki's knowing smirk.

"Ummm….I mean the water could be heavy and you'll need me to help you." he said awkwardly.

"Idiot." said Suki as she placed her face in her hands.

"She doesn't need any help!" said Aang angrily.

"He's right Zuko, I'll be right back guys." said Katara as she turned and walked away.

Sokka closed his eyes and shook his head. He could have sworn he saw Katara give Zuko one last look before she left.

"What's the matter Sokka?" asked Suki.

"I think I just threw up in my mouth."

* * *

Katara walked down the pathway to the river with a smile on her face.

"What's wrong with me? He's a friend and that's it." she said to herself as the image of Zuko flooded her mind.

Katara's stomach gave a strange lurch as she imagined Zuko walking beside her and taking hold of her hand.

"Whoa there! Zuko's a friend…he's a friend." she said again as she approached the river bank.

Katara removed the water jugs from her side and placed them on the floor. She moved her arms towards the river and pointed them at the jugs as four streams of water rose from the surface and filled the jugs.

"That should be enough." she said as she picked up one of the jugs.

"Now what is a waterbender doing all by herself at night?" said a voice behind her.

Katara turned slowly around and moved her wrist in a bending stance as she gazed at the forms of twenty firebenders.

"What do you want?" she asked hesitantly.

"I know who you are, you're the avatar's friend. Princess Azula will be pleased." said one of them. "You're coming with us."

"I'm not going anywhere." said Katara as her body prepared for the oncoming attack.

Katara was about to unleash a powerful wave of water at the firebenders but she instead dropped to the floor with a groan of pain as something collided with her head and knocked her out.

**This is the first of ten chaptrers of this story I hope you liked it. REVIEW!!**


	2. Return of the Spirit

"What's taking Katara so long to get back?" asked Toph after the waterbender had been gone for over an hour.

"I don't know, she should've been back by now." said Suki hesitantly.

"Don't worry I'm sure she's fine." said Aang confidently.

"I don't know…it's not like Katara to take this long." said Zuko fearfully.

"How would you know?" asked Aang under his breath.

"I say we go look for her." declared Toph loudly.

"Good idea." said Sokka as they all rose to their feet.

"Let's meet back here in an hour." said Suki as they all split up.

* * *

Katara groaned in pain as she regained consciousness.

"Where am I?" she said to herself as she looked around at her surroundings.

She was in a small metal cabin and there were tapestries of the Fire Nation everywhere. Katara was about to walk towards the metal door when the ground gave an unpleasant lurch forward. Katara cursed silently to herself as she rose from the ground and realization suddenly dawned on her, she was in a Fire Navy war boat.

"It looks like you're awake." said a man as he entered her cabin.

Katara looked at him in anger as she prepared to bend at him.

"Don't try it, there's absolutely no water on the ship and even if you did manage to escape you'd never make it to the upper deck." he said with a laugh.

"So why don't you be a good little girl and relax while we repair the ship. You'll need all your strength when you face the fire princess." he said with another chuckle as he left the cabin and locked the door behind him.

Katara walked back to her bed and sat down.

"Where are you Zuko?"

* * *

"Any luck?" asked Suki as they all met up in the campsite.

"None, it's like she just vanished." said Sokka in a worried voice.

"I knew I shouldn't have let her go alone." said Zuko with a depressed look on his face.

"What would you have done?" asked Aang angrily.

"I would've protected her." snarled Zuko.

"Protected her from what?" yelled Aang. "You two have only been friends for two days and you act like you've been best friends for years!"

"Can you two stop arguing?" yelled Toph. "I don't know where she is but it's late and I'm sure she got stuck somewhere and made camp in a cave. We can look for her more in the morning."

"I'm not giving up." said Zuko as he walked beck down the path towards the river.

* * *

"I brought you some food Peasant." said a man as he walked into the cabin.

Katara gazed hatefully into the mask of the firebender and rose to her feet.

"I'm not hungry." she said defiantly.

"Fine." he said angrily before throwing the tray of food on the floor. "Starve."

Katara watched as the guard walked through the door and bolted it behind him.

After she knew he was gone, Katara walked forward and knelt beside her bed and picked up a piece of bread. After examining it thoroughly, she ripped it in half and began to chew wildly. She was starving and it pained her to see the guard throw the tray of food on the ground but she couldn't risk being poisoned.

After finishing the bread, Katara curled up into a ball on her bed.

"I have to escape somehow." she said to herself.

The guard was right, upon her capture the engineers had pumped dry air into her cabin so her bending was now useless.

"No it's not." she said hesitantly, there was one bending form she could use.

"I can't do that!" she argued with herself, "It's too dangerous!"

"But I have to." she said finally, "I have to use bloodbending."

* * *

Zuko examined the river up and down for hours before collapsing on the grassy floor in exhaustion.

"Where did you go? I searched everywhere and there's no sign you were even here." he said to himself.

Just as he was about to make his way back to camp, Zuko spotted something in the water. After reaching into the water, he held a Southern Tribe water jug in his hand.

"Why would she leave this behind?" he asked curiously before coughing suddenly.

Zuko looked past the canyon's edge and he could just barely make out a plume of smoke rising in the distance. Zuko crept silently to the edge of the canyon and gazed down at a large war boat.

"It's too heavily guarded, I'll have to sneak in." whispered Zuko.

Zuko ran as fast as he could back to camp and into his tent, he knew what he had to do.

After tearing through his bag, he found a black outfit which he quickly changed in to. Zuko strapped his swords to his back and paused as he looked into his bag. Taking a deep breath, Zuko reached into the bag and placed a blue mask on his face.

**I usually update on Tuesdays but after all the positive feedback I decided to upload it today!! I'm glad you guys like it!! REVIEW!!**


	3. The Rescue

Katara waited in her cabin for a guard to appear. After the one had delivered her food, they just stopped coming like they completely didn't care if she lived or died.

"Come on…come and get it." she said as she faced the door in a bloodbending stance.

* * *

"Did you hear something?" asked a guard that was patrolling the perimeter of the ship.

"No I didn't I-"

The guard screamed as a shadow jumped behind him and pressed two swords to his neck.

"What do you want?" asked the firebender as he looked at the man with the swords, face unrecognizable due to his mask.

The masked figure said nothing as he knocked the guard he was holding to the floor before spinning around and kicking the firebender in the face, knocking him overboard.

The Blue Spirit ran forward and flipped over three guards who yelled in fear as he sent flying kicks to their heads that knocked them unconscious. Turning around quickly, he waved his swords in the air as fire blasts came flying at him.

The firebenders gasped in fear as the man charged towards them and kicked one of them in the stomach and knocked one out using the hilt of his sword.

"You are under arrest under the authority of Fire Princess Azula." said the other firebender, fear evident in his voice.

"I don't answer to her…I never have." said the masked man dangerously.

"I know that voice…impossible…Prince Zuko?" asked the guard in astonishment.

The guard was about to cry out but was stopped as Zuko swung his leg out and kicked the firebender's chest before bringing the hilt of his sword down to the bender's neck.

"The one and only." Zuko whispered as he watched the guard crumble to the floor.

Zuko twisted around just in time to avoid a fire blast that nearly struck him. He ran towards the wall and to the benders great surprise, the Blue Spirit scaled the wall and flipped over him, kicking his back and knocking him to the ground.

Zuko turned towards the helmsman and unleashed a roundhouse kick that knocked him over the ledge and into the icy waters below. Zuko swung his sword behind him just as a large hammer was about to collide with his head.

The engineer screamed in terror as the sword sliced the top of the hammer in half and watched helplessly as the masked man collided with his body and knocked him down the staircase.

Zuko looked around and smiled when he saw a door on the other side of the wall. Stepping forward, Zuko made his way below deck. Within minutes, a large metal door appeared at the end of the hallway.

"Stop right there!"

Zuko turned around and barely had time to deflect a blast of fire from the captain.

"You're not getting in there!" the captain snarled as he unleashed another blast of fire at him.

Zuko dodged the blast and when he stood up, he saw the captain's keys glinting from the light of the torches.

"You have something I need." said Zuko as he unleashed a fire blast at the captain.

The captain watched with bated breath as the fire swarmed around him and knocked him into the wall.

Zuko calmly approached the unconscious captain and removed the keys from his belt.

"Thank you." he said with a smile as he turned around to walk towards the door.

* * *

Just as Katara was about to release her bloodbending stance, she heard the familiar sound of a key entering the lock.

With a smile, she stared at the door with hatred in her eyes and waited for it to open.

* * *

Zuko turned the key and the door unlocked with a small 'click'. He stepped forward and slowly opened the door as the form of Katara in a strange stance greeted his eyes.

"Hello." said Katara as she waved her arms.

Zuko felt an uncontrollable sensation come over his body and he was forced to his knees. Using the last bit of control he had left, Zuko dropped his swords and positioned his hands in front of his face.

Katara saw the sign of peace and she looked curiously at him before releasing her bending.

"Who are you?" she asked curiously.

Feeling his body returning to normal, Zuko held a finger over his lips. He rose to his feet and motioned for Katara to follow him.

Katara understood the silent message and followed her rescuer out of her cabin and to the upper deck.

The two made their way to the ramp that led back to the island before a firebender appeared in front of them. Zuko was about to attack but instead watched in awe as a huge wave erupted from the water and threw the bender backwards. Turning around, he saw Katara with her arm raised.

"Are we going or not?" she asked irritably.

Zuko couldn't move fast enough to prevent the fire blast that was unleashed at Katara from a bender that was hidden in the shadows.

Caught by surprise, all Katara could do to prevent the attack was to bend a small water shield. The flames evaporated the shield, throwing Katara backwards and knocking her unconscious.

In a cry of rage, Zuko swung his swords around and unleashed a spectacular fire attack at the bender. The firebender screamed in terror as the force of the attack knocked him off his feet and threw him into the water.

Zuko approached Katara's unconscious body and gently took her in his arms. He gazed longingly at her lips and without disturbing her, he softly pressed his lips to hers.

**Here's another chapter! Next chapter will be up next Tuesday. My friend asked me about this story and she asked if this was the prequel to icefire. I said no but now that I read it over it could be, so it's whatever you want. It could be a prequel but I prefer it as a stand alone fic. But if you like this story, read icefire, there's major Zutara fluff coming up in Book 1 of icefire and 2 huge surprises. REVIEW!!**


	4. Nameless Kiss

Zuko carried Katara back to the camp and laid her down softly on her sleeping bag. Leaning forward, he softly kissed her forehead and walked out of the tent.

* * *

Katara felt the warm kiss on her forehead and she pressed her fingers to her lips. They were warm and were tingling strangely. Rising to her feet, she walked out of the tent.

* * *

Zuko heard the tent doors opening and turned slowly around to see Katara running towards him. Panicking, Zuko leapt into the nearby tree and hid amongst the branches.

"No stop!" yelled Katara as she approached where he was standing just a minute earlier. She looked around and saw no sign of her rescuer.

"I'm not going to hurt you, I just want to talk to you." she said while she looked around.

Zuko heard what she was saying and was severely tempted to remove his mask and kiss her again. Moving to jump to another tree, the branch under him broke and he fell to the floor but was stopped as his leg hooked onto one of the low hanging branches. He blushed bright red as only his upper body was visible to the waterbender. Feeling his face getting hotter considerably, Zuko was thankful to have a mask on.

Katara looked curiously at the upside down form of her rescuer as she cautiously approached him.

"I want to thank you for saving me from those firebenders." she said as she walked towards him.

Zuko did not say anything but just kept looking at her walking towards him, heart leaping in his chest with every step she took.

"My name's Katara, what's yours?" she asked as she stopped a few feet away from him.

Zuko couldn't answer even if he wanted to because her being so close to him was causing his throat to constrict.

"So you won't talk to me?" asked Katara with a sad look on her face.

Zuko watched curiously as her sad look disappeared and was replaced with a smirk.

"Well I have to thank you somehow." said Katara, smiling even more as she closed the distance between them.

Zuko took a deep breath as she removed the mask enough so that his lips were exposed.

"This is my thank you." she said softly before silently kissing him on the lips.

Zuko's eyes fluttered closed and he felt the warm feeling in his chest spread over his body as he melted into the kiss.

Katara closed her eyes as she pressed harder into him, hands moving to the back of his head to unhook his mask.

Feeling her hands on his head, Zuko broke the kiss suddenly and jumped back into the trees just as his mask came loose and fell into his hands.

Katara looked up into the tree for a few minutes before walking back to her tent. Once she was inside, she placed two fingers on her lips and exhaled, but the butterflies in her stomach wouldn't go away.

* * *

Once he knew for sure that Katara was inside her tent, Zuko quietly climbed from the tree and snuck back to his tent. He removed his swords from his back and tucked them and the mask under his sleeping bag. After he changed out of his black outfit, he laid down and stared at the ceiling of his tent.

With a smile he placed his finger on his lips, remembering the warmth and comfort that was there only a few minutes ago.

As he was thinking about this, he knew Katara was falling in love with the Blue Spirit. With a groan, Zuko turned over and closed his eyes. Realizing that he was falling in love with a girl who was in love with someone else.

**There it is!! the updated chapter!! I'm not very good at writing lovey dovey stuff so I hope you like it!! Next chapter will be up Thursday evening!**


	5. Shared Thoughts

"When did Katara get back?" asked Sokka as he watched his sister sit quietly on the floor.

"Sometime last night." said Toph while she ate her small pastry.

"I told you she was alright!" said Aang cheerfully.

"Yeah of course she was." said Zuko quietly.

Zuko sat across from Katara and he couldn't keep his eyes off her. He watched her look around and stare off into the distance with a far off look in her eyes. He knew what…who she was thinking about.

"We need to think about where we're going to go now." said Suki, "We can't stay here forever."

"Where do you possibly think we can go?" exclaimed Sokka.

"Actually I know of a place." said Zuko.

"You do? Where?" asked Toph.

"My family owns a beach house on Ember Island. We could stay there for a few days." explained Zuko.

Suki smirked as she watched Zuko speak, even though he was facing them while he talked, she couldn't help but notice his eyes flicker every few seconds to a particular waterbender.

"I guess that'll work." said Toph with a smile.

"Alright let's go." said Aang as he and the rest stood to leave.

Katara rose to her feet and watched with a smirk as Zuko stood up and walked towards Appa. She watched as he walked towards the bison and turned slowly back to look at her.

Zuko turned around slowly to take another secret glance at Katara but gasped as he saw her staring at him. Zuko was so shocked at being caught that he didn't notice that there was a large rock on the ground next to him.

Katara gasped as Zuko tripped on the rock and fell over. Before she could cry out, Zuko thrust his arms forward to break his fall and he landed smoothly on his feet.

"Nice fall, maybe you should be in the circus." said Sokka with a laugh as he boarded Appa.

Zuko fixed his clothes as he turned to smile at Katara before taking a seat beside Toph on the bison.

Katara stared at the rock with wide eyes. Zuko just did a spectacular flip that looked strangely familiar to her. She gasped as an image of her rescuer flooded her vision.

"I'm being silly…Zuko's not that guy." said Katara to herself with a smile.

"Katara any day now." said Toph irritably.

"What? Oh yeah…I'm coming." said Katara quickly as she ran to Appa and took the empty seat beside Zuko.

Zuko held his breath as Katara moved gracefully towards him and took the seat next to his. He gulped as her arm gently grazed his while she sat down and faced forward. Zuko gazed longingly at her lips as she moved her tongue along them.

"They're so close…maybe I could just…" said Zuko to himself as he slowly leaned towards her.

"Zuko what are you doing?" yelled Aang as he saw the fire prince move towards Katara.

"What? Oh it's nothing." said Zuko quickly as he turned back to his seat and cursed himself for giving into his desires so easily.

Katara looked at Zuko curiously as she placed her hand on his shoulder.

Zuko stared at the hand for a long time as his heart raced a mile a minute and his face turned bright red.

"Are you alright?" she asked softly.

"I'm fine." whispered Zuko hoarsely.

"Good." she said with a smile as she removed her hand from his shoulder and faced forward again.

Zuko took a deep breath as he tried to relax.

"Her hand was on my shoulder." he said to himself.

Zuko tried to stop shaking as he saw Katara brush a strand of hair away from her face.

"I wish I could brush it away for you." whispered Zuko.

"What did you say?" asked Katara.

"Oh nothing." said Zuko quickly.

"You're funny." said Katara as she stared at the land below her.

"I can't believe I said that out loud." said Zuko to himself.

He stared at Katara as he tried to block the image of them kissing the night before. But that image was replaced by a new one. It was them riding on Appa, but they were alone and she was leaning against him with their fingers intertwined.

Katara stared at the moving clouds as they flew over the ocean. She smiled as the image of the masked man came into her mind.

"His lips were so soft and warm." said Katara to herself as she remembered the feeling.

"What are you smiling at?" asked Sokka.

"Nothing!" said Katara quickly.

Suki glanced first at Katara and then at Zuko. They both looked like they were thinking about something and she could have sworn that the firebender moved in to kiss Katara before Aang interrupted them.

"Damn Airbender!" she said to herself.

"What did you say?" asked Toph.

"None of your business." said Suki abruptly.

"It's okay, I already know."

Suki gazed at Toph in wonder as the blind earthbender smiled.

"You mean…you?" began Suki before she was interrupted.

"Yup." said Toph with a nod of her head.

**Here's the new chapter!! And I know this is short but I'm gonna make up for it. School's getting started and I had orientation today so these are the only ones I have finished. Next chapter will be up Tuesday.**


	6. Old Memories

"This place is beautiful Zuko!" exclaimed Katara in awe as she gazed at the beautiful expanse of ocean in front of them.

"So are you…" breathed Zuko quietly before hearing Suki clear her throat loudly.

Zuko turned to look at the Kyoshi Warrior and all she did was smile and give him a knowing look. He turned to Toph and saw the earthbender nod her head at him.

"Was this your house?" asked Sokka as he walked around the courtyard.

"Yeah my family used to come here very summer." he responded with a sigh.

"You sound sad." said Aang.

"Everything was so good back then, no fighting or anything. My mother and I used to build sandcastles right over there." said Zuko as tears flooded his eyes.

Without a word, Katara walked forward and placed a comforting hand on Zuko's back.

Zuko looked at her curiously as she moved her hand in circles over his back. His face turned bright red and he looked down as his stomach fluttered strangely.

"I think he's fine now Katara." said Aang angrily.

Katara smiled at Zuko as she withdrew her hand and walked away from him to stand beside Toph.

"So what's our plan now?" asked Toph.

Zuko didn't answer the question because he was too busy thinking about the hand that was just on his back.

"Zuko?"

"Oh right," said Zuko awkwardly as he blushed. "We should rest here for a few days until we're ready for the invasion."

Katara giggled at his embarrassed look and turned around to look at the shoreline once more.

"I think I'm going to go for a walk." she said as she began to walk towards the open door that led to the beach.

"I'm gonna explore the house." said Zuko as he headed in the opposite direction.

"What's with them" asked Sokka.

* * *

Aang watched bitterly as Suki, Sokka, and Toph made camp in the main room of the house. He sat on a large cushion on the side of the room as he tried and failed to meditate.

"What's wrong with me?" he yelled suddenly as him kissing Katara on the day of the invasion flooded his mind.

He had always been confident in his ability to win Katara over but now he was not so sure. Ever since Zuko got here he was the only person Katara ever talked about, albeit positive or negative. After they got back from their mission, Katara and Zuko have been constantly exchanging secret glances at each other.

"What am I going to do?" he asked the empty air solemnly as he lowered his head.

As he spoke, Aang knew that she was slowly slipping away from him.

* * *

Zuko allowed a tear to slip down his face as he stared at the picture of his mother holding him as an infant. Zuko placed the picture back on the floor and walked to the window where he saw Katara walking along the shore. The minute he caught sight of her his heart fluttered and his stomach lurched.

"What's wrong with me?" he asked angrily.

"Katara is a friend…she's just a friend." he said solemnly as he leaned against the window sill.

"Besides, she could never love me back." he said softly as a tear rolled down his cheek.

Zuko stared at Katara as she placed her feet in the water. He couldn't help taking a deep breath as the light of the moon illuminated her features, making her even more breathtaking.

"She could never love me."

"You'd be surprised." said a voice behind him.

Zuko was startled as he gazed at the two forms of Suki and Sokka entering the room.

"What do you want?" he asked gloomily as he turned to stare back outside.

"That's what I wanted to ask you." said Toph.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"I think you know…what're you looking at?" asked Suki softly.

Zuko stared down at Katara again before turning around to address the two girls.

"We need to talk Zuko."

* * *

Katara kicked her feet in the water as she thought about Zuko. She had been thinking about him a lot lately. She knew she liked him but now she had the masked man to consider. Sure she only met him once and she didn't even know his name but she felt something there when they kissed.

"What about Aang?" she asked herself, "How am I going to tell him that I just want to be friends?"

She was thinking about all this when she felt the weird sensation that she was being watched. She cautiously looked around and her thoughts immediately jumped to her rescuer.

"Are you here?" she asked.

She waited for an answer and sighed when she didn't receive one.

"Of course you're not."

Katara closed her eyes as the image of the kiss they shared flooded her vision. Katara basked in the memory and frowned curiously as an image of Zuko appeared in her mind as well. They were the same, the only difference was that she was kissing Zuko.

"What's wrong with me?" she asked herself suddenly, "He would never think of me like that."

Katara stared into her reflection in the water and smiled as the image of her rescuer appeared and disappeared, only to be replaced by Zuko.

* * *

"You have feelings for Katara." said Toph confidently.

"No I don't…I"

"You're lying."

Zuko stared at Toph angrily and he turned to face Suki.

"Did you guys just come to make fun of me?" he asked irritably.

"We feel sorry for you Zuko. We know you really like her and she likes you but now you have some competition." said Toph.

"Who, Aang? Please…" said Suki with a laugh.

"Not Aang you idiot, someone else!" she responded angrily.

Zuko looked down and stared at his feet as Toph continued to talk.

"You were supposedly sleeping when Katara was rescued and I felt Katara being kissed by _someone_. But what surprises me is that you and her rescuer have the same foot pattern. And do you know what else?" asked Toph.

"What?" muttered Zuko.

"I never felt her rescuer leave." said Toph with a smirk.

"You mean he's here?" asked Suki in awe.

"Yes Suki he's in the next room…it's Zuko you idiot!" yelled Toph.

"You?" asked Suki.

"What're you going to do now? Are you going to tell her?" he asked quietly.

"No I'm not." said Toph.

"Then why-" he began before he was interrupted.

"Listen Zuko, all your life you've had girls swoon over you and I bet even some of them would have gladly spread their legs for you." said Toph.

Zuko blushed bright red, causing Suki to snort loudly.

"Now that you really love someone and you want to be with her, you have to fight for her affections." said Toph.

"But I saved her life? Isn't that enough?" asked Zuko.

"Nope, maybe you should start out with a date." suggested Toph.

"But doesn't Katara already like him?" asked Suki.

"Yup, but she's confused because she likes her rescuer too." said Toph.

"So I have to compete with myself?" asked Zuko.

"It shouldn't be too hard, you were never really that much competition to begin with, thank goodness Twinkletoes isn't her type." said Toph.

"Do you know of a good place to take her?" asked Suki.

Zuko thought for a few minutes before a broad smile crossed his features.

"I know just the place."

**Here's the new chapter I hope you enjoy!! **


	7. The Play

"Hey Katara?"

"Yes?"

"Can I talk to you for a minute?"

"Sure."

Katara followed Zuko through the house and into the courtyard so he could talk to her in private. He however didn't realize that the entire group followed them.

"What's up?" asked Katara, smiling at Zuko's obvious nervousness.

"Umm…well I uhhh…do you want to go to a play with me?" he asked hurriedly.

Katara looked at him in shock as she took in what he said. She had been expecting him to ask her to spar or to switch rooms but go to a play?

"Zuko…are you asking me on a date?"

Zuko looked into her eyes as his face turned bright red.

"No…I mean…ye…" Zuko stuttered before regaining his composure, "I just thought it would be fun for us to go together as friends."

Zuko stopped talking as he felt a small pebble hit the back of his head and he distinctly heard someone mutter 'idiot'.

"I'd love to." answered Katara with a smile.

"You would! I mean…great." said Zuko as he nervously ran his hand through his hair.

"You guys are going to see a play? What a coincidence I was thinking of taking Suki to one too." said Sokka as he approached them.

"You…you were?" asked Zuko.

"Yeah I heard they just made a play about us. Hey I know, we could double date!" said Sokka excitedly.

"That's a good idea but I wanted it to just be-"

"That's a great idea Sokka!" said Katara excitedly, not caring that she interrupted Zuko.

"Are you sure Katara?" he asked hesitantly.

"It'll be fun, you don't mind do you?" she asked innocently.

Zuko did mind, he minded very much but he couldn't help but melt at the look she gave him.

"I guess…" he said solemnly.

"Why do you guys have to go?" asked Aang as he approached them, "Why can't we all go?"

"If you want to come that's fine Aang, you can bring Toph." said Sokka.

Suki couldn't help but laugh at Zuko's hurt look but her laugh quickly disappeared because she had to use all of her strength to prevent Toph from attacking Sokka and Aang.

* * *

"Where do you wanna sit Katara?" asked Zuko awkwardly as they made their way into the theatre.

"Right here's fine." she responded.

Zuko awkwardly placed his hand on her back as he led her and the rest to the seats on the balcony.

Toph moved down the row to sit down and Katara followed. Taking a deep breath, Zuko walked down the row and sat next to Katara.

"Umm Zuko?"

"What Aang?"

"I wanted to sit there." said Aang angrily.

"I think you should sit next to Suki and Sokka." said Toph irritably.

"But I-"

"Sit down!"

"You can't-"

"I said sit!"

Aang sighed in frustration as he walked to the other rows and took a seat next to Sokka.

"Thank you for inviting me Zuko." said Katara with a warm smile.

Zuko smirked bashfully as he gazed deep into her eyes.

"It's no problem Katara." he said with a smile.

Katara smiled back at him before noticing something about him.

"Those lips…" she said to herself as the image of the kiss between her and her rescuer flooded her mind. Without thinking, Katara closed her eyes and leaned in to kiss him.

Zuko saw what was coming and his heart leapt in his chest. He quickly closed his eyes and leaned forward to return the kiss. Just as their lips were inches away from contact, Aang yelled out.

"Look the play is starting!" he yelled.

Katara and Zuko opened their eyes and stared at each other as their faces turned red and they turned to face the stage.

"That was close." whispered Aang as the couple began to watch the play.

Suki laughed quietly to herself when she saw Toph nearly kill the avatar because of him interrupting Katara and Zuko.

The play began and even though Katara and Zuko watched the acting, they were thinking about each other.

"I don't believe it," thought Katara, "I almost kissed him."

"I don't believe it," thought Zuko, "I was _so_ close to kissing her."

Toph couldn't help but smile as the play went on because during the past hour, Katara had been secretly scooting closer to Zuko. Zuko on the other hand didn't notice her moving because he was gathering the courage to drape his arms over her shoulders.

Zuko took a deep breath as he pulled the yawn act and cautiously draped his arm over her shoulders.

Katara turned bright red as she felt herself lean into his touch.

"You don't mind me leaning against you do you?" she whispered.

Zuko could barely answer because of his elation of being so close to the waterbender.

"Not at all." he whispered hoarsely.

"The yawn move…seriously?" whispered Suki with a shake of her head.

"Did you say something?" asked Sokka.

"No watch the play."

* * *

The play wore on and Zuko felt as if he was being slowly killed. He had wanted to see a romantic play with Katara but he just _had _to be overheard by Sokka.

Katara opened her eyes for the fiftieth time that night in her silent battle to keep from falling asleep. As she opened her eyes, she saw a masked man leading Aang away from a Fire Nation fortress.

"That's him," thought Katara in astonishment, "Aang knew him?"

Katara sat up as she looked around for the pamphlet. She spotted it next to her and she leaned in to grab it but gasped as Zuko's hand touched hers.

Zuko stared at the hand with wide eyes as he felt his face heat drastically. He had been looking for the pamphlet to see when this horrible play would end so he didn't realize that Katara was doing the exact same thing.

The two teenagers stared at one another's hands as they slowly looked up into each other's eyes.

"I'm sorry." they said at the same time as they blushed and pulled their hands away.

"You wanted to see it?" asked Zuko, ignoring the warm feeling on his hand.

"No it's okay you have it." whispered Katara. "Why is my hand tingling?" she whispered to herself.

"Go ahead." reassured Zuko as he handed her the pamphlet.

Smiling shyly, Katara reached over to take the pamphlet and their fingers brushed against each other.

* * *

Another hour and a half went by and they reached the part where Katara and Zuko were trapped in the crystal cave.

Katara watched the scene leading up to it and she tensed, waiting for the interaction to come. She instead gasped in surprise as the two did not argue but instead flirted with each other.

Zuko had been waiting for the confrontation as well and was equally shocked to see that it did not come.

"I though you were the avatar's girl?"

"Who Aang? He's more like a brother to me. You're much more attractive."

Katara heard the words being said and she knew they were true. She did think of Aang as a friend and a brother….and she did find Zuko highly attractive. Katara turned to look at Zuko watching the play and smiled.

Zuko heard the words being said and he hoped they were true. From his short time of living with the gang, it seemed to him that Katara and Aang were no more than close friends…and he hoped Katara found him attractive. Zuko turned to face Katara and blushed when he found her staring back at him.

The two looked into the other's eyes before blushing and turning away with grins on their faces.

Aang heard the words being said and he hoped they weren't true. He loved Katara more than anything and he didn't want to lose her. He glanced at the two teens sitting in front of him and gasped when he saw them blush when they looked at each other.

Aang balled his hands into fists as he continued to watch the play. Ignoring the staring game that the waterbender and firebender were playing.

**Here's the new chapter the new one will be up on Monday.**


	8. Intermission

"This play is horrible!" yelled Sokka in frustration.

"You're the one that picked it!" shouted Katara.

"And it's not even close to being over." groaned Zuko miserably.

"I don't know why you and Katara are complaining." said Aang bitterly.

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Katara irritably.

"I mean I don't know what's harder to watch, the horrible play or you and Zuko blushing and staring at each other. I almost threw up twice." yelled Aang.

"Friends can we not argue?" asked Toph.

"Tell them." said Aang irritably.

"I'm gonna go get some air." said Katara irritably as she walked past Aang and through the doors.

Zuko watched with wide eyes as Katara disappeared through the door before turning to Aang with rage that he couldn't describe.

"See what you did?" asked Zuko angrily.

"I didn't do anything. You're the one that's brainwashing her!" yelled Aang.

"Aang!" yelled Suki.

"It's okay Suki…I'm going for a walk." said Zuko sadly as he walked down the hall.

"Nice going Twinkletoes." said Toph angrily as she pushed past him and followed Zuko.

Aang turned to face Sokka and Suki who were looking at him with disappointment on their faces.

"What'd I say?"

* * *

"What's wrong with me?" yelled Katara into the open air as tears poured down her cheeks.

"How could Aang say something like that?" she whispered.

Katara looked at the ocean in the distance and she realized that in a way, Aang was right. She had been stringing him along for so long and now that Zuko's here she was completely ignoring Aang.

"I have to tell him." she said to herself as the image of Zuko and the masked man came into her mind.

"I have to tell both of them."

* * *

"Are you okay?" asked Toph softly as she approached Zuko.

Zuko heard the voice of the earthbender and he looked up into her eyes.

"You've been crying haven't you?" she asked.

"I don't cry."

"You're lying." she whispered.

Zuko knew he was caught and he lowered his head as Toph sat down.

"Aang's jealous Zuko, he's your friend, he didn't know what he was saying." Toph reassured.

"It's not that." he answered.

"Then what is it?" she asked.

"I know how Aang's feeling…"

"What?"

Zuko looked up and turned towards Toph with more tears in his eyes.

"Katara doesn't love me, she's in love with the 'Blue Spirit'." said Zuko sadly.

"You don't know that."

"Yes I do!" yelled Zuko angrily, "I was there when she looked at me that night. She looked so happy and I could see her falling in love with _him. _And the same thing happened when she saw the actor in the play…she could never look at me like that." he finished sadly.

"You really love her don't you?" asked Toph.

Zuko looked down and then back up to her eyes.

"Yes…I've never felt this way before."

"Then you have to tell her."

"I know."

* * *

Katara turned around slowly as she heard someone enter the area she was in.

"I just want to know…" said Aang, "Why you've been leading me on this entire time."

"Aang I-"

"No." he interrupted, "Answer the question."

"I wasn't stringing you along." said Katara desperately.

"Then what've you been doing?" he asked.

"I…I don't know." she finished miserably.

"If don't love me you should've told me a long time ago." said Aang sadly.

"I do love you Aang, just not the way you think." said Katara.

"What do you mean?"

"You're my best friend and I love you like a brother." said Katara. "But I'm not _in_ love with you."

"I have to go." said Aang suddenly as he turned to leave with tears in his eyes.

"Aang wait!" she said as she grabbed Aang's wrist, "We have to talk about this."

Aang turned to face her with tears pouring down his cheeks.

"What?" he asked.

Katara stepped forward and hugged him tightly before stepping back after a few moments.

"Feel anything?" asked Katara.

"Yeah I felt comforted." said Aang.

"But did you feel love?"

"Of course I did!"

"What did it feel like?"

"It felt wonderful, it's like I can tell you anything." said Aang. "It's like you're my-"

"Sister?" Katara finished for him.

Aang realized what she said was true and he drooped his head.

"If you and Zuko were in love and you didn't want to be with me, why didn't you tell me a long time ago?" he asked solemnly.

"I'm not in love with Zuko…" said Katara, "Am I?" she said to herself.

"Of course you are. Look at the way you two look at each other." said Aang.

Katara thought about what he said and she knew that there _was_ something between her and Zuko.

"Am I in love with him?" she asked herself. "But what about my rescuer?"

"That settles it." said Aang.

"Listen Aang, for a long time I did think that you and I were going to be together, especially after meeting Aunt Wu. She told me I was going to marry a powerful bender and I realized you were one. But overtime we started to grow closer to each other but not like that, more like brother and sister." Katara explained.

Aang listened to Katara's speech as more tears streamed down his face, it was all true.

"Aang someday you're going to meet a girl and you're going to fall completely in love with her." said Katara with a smile.

"Do you really think so?"

"I know so." said Katara with a smile.

"At least you have Zuko," said Aang, "He's a powerful bender."

Katara's eyes widened in shock as she remembered her meeting with Aunt Wu. Zuko is tall and so was her rescuer. But her rescuer wasn't a bender, Zuko was…a powerful one.

* * *

"Is there something going on between Zuko and Katara?" asked Sokka.

"It's a really long story Sokka." said Suki in an exasperated sigh.

Sokka looked at his girlfriend before turning at the sound of footsteps.

"They're back." said Sokka.

Suki turned around to see Zuko, Toph, Katara and Aang walk towards them. Suki watched with bated breath as Zuko and Katara looked into each other's eyes before Zuko looked at Aang with a pleading glance.

Taking a deep breath, Aang nodded his head. Zuko walked forward and held up his arm with a smile on his face, waiting for Katara to take it. With a grin, Katara wrapped her arm around his and he led them back into the theatre.

"I have to talk to you when we get back to the house." whispered Zuko.

"Me too." responded Katara.

* * *

"Finally that stupid play is over!" yelled Sokka happily.

They had just entered the beach house when Zuko pulled Katara to the side.

"I'm sorry the play was so stupid." said Zuko.

"It's okay, I had a good time." she responded with a grin.

"Good." said Zuko, "I still need to talk to you so I'll meet you on the beach in five minutes."

"Okay I'll see you there." said Katara.

Zuko smiled at her as he leaned in to give her a soft kiss on the cheek before walking away.

Katara watched him leave with a blush on her face. She slowly placed a hand on her cheek and felt the warmth that was still there.

"His kiss was just like…never mind." said Katara to herself as she made her way down to the beach.

* * *

Zuko walked into his room and took a deep breath as he sat down on his bed. He knew this was it, he had to tell her now.

"I need some air," he said to himself as he walked to the window and stared at the moonlit water.

* * *

"I wonder where he is?" asked Katara to herself as she walked along the beach.

Katara wondered what she was going to say to him when he arrived. She was confused, she had feelings for Zuko but she was in love with a guy that she didn't even know.

"Enjoying your walk?" asked a cold voice from behind her.

Katara quickly turned around to see the firebending naval captain and his guards around her. Without a word, she moved into a bending stance.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." he said to her as he waved his hand.

To Katara's great horror, twenty firebenders emerged from the shadows, hands pointed at the house.

"Come with us and we won't hurt your friends."

Katara looked at him with hatred in her eyes before she moved out of her stance and surrendered.

**Hey people's!! I'm going to be updating tomorrow night and the last chapter of the story will be up Thursaday!!**


	9. I Knew You'd Come

_Author's Note: This is the first of the two part finale!!_

"Zuko are you in here? Honestly this isn't the time to play hide-and-go-seek." said Suki.

She entered the room and saw no one there. She walked around and saw that his sleeping bag was ripped open as if in a hurry and the clothes he was wearing were strewn all over the floor.

Suki turned around when she got a sudden chill and she noticed that there was a footprint on the ledge of the window and were footprints on the sand that led farther down the beach.

* * *

Katara walked alongside the firebenders as she was dragged by her chains.

"You're not going to escape us this time." said the captain in a cold voice as the ship reached their eye sight.

Katara looked up suddenly and looked around at her surroundings. She thought she heard footsteps. The firebenders stopped in fear as they heard a sea dog bark in the distance…they felt like they were being watched.

"Come on!" said one of them as he yanked on Katara's chains.

The other firebenders gasped in shock as something flew through the air and the bender who had spoken fell to the ground. Another bender tried to cry out but he too was knocked to the ground by the shadow.

"Form a perimeter around the prisoner!" yelled the captain.

Katara watched in fear and amazement as the firebenders formed a circle around her and waited for another attack. She gasped as the benders on her left screamed as they were all knocked to the floor as a man with a mask ran over to her. He twisted and turned as he avoided the fire blasts and knocked the remaining benders around her to the ground.

He quickly turned around and swinging his swords, he freed Katara from her chains. Katara looked at him with love in her eyes as he reached forward and gently brushed a strand of hair away from her face.

"I knew you'd come for me." said Katara with a smile.

Zuko looked at her sadly before quickly turning around and swinging his sword at the advancing bender. Zuko dodged the fire blast and flipping over him, he brought the hilt of the swords down to his neck and the bender blacked out. Seeing more benders charging towards him, he ran forward, swinging his swords wildly.

Katara watched in awe as the Blue Spirit moved with grace and ease as he defeated countless firebenders.

"Behind you!" yelled Zuko.

"That voice," whispered Katara, "That sounds like-"

She wasn't able to finish because Zuko ran forward and knocked her over just as a fire blast scorched the sand she was standing on. Katara rose to her feet and stared at the man before her.

"Thank you." she whispered to him.

Zuko did not respond but instead turned to face the captain as Katara turned towards the advancing firebenders.

Katara raised her arms and the water along the shore erupted and flooded the ground around her. Swinging her arms wildly around, powerful waves appeared that defeated all the firebenders around her.

Zuko twisted and turned as he avoided the burning flames that nearly took him out twice. Zuko flipped over the captain and aimed a kick at his head. The captain sensed what was coming and quickly kicked a jet of fire at his attacker. Zuko was thrown backwards as the force of the hit collided with his swords and they were knocked from his hands. The captain laughed as he advanced on Zuko and raised his arms.

"The Blue Spirit is no more." said the captain as flames swirled around his hand.

"No!" screamed Katara as she ran towards him.

The captain unleashed a spectacular wave of fire at Zuko who brought his arms up to shield him from the blast.

"You monster!" she screamed at him.

The captain did not respond because he watched in horror as a great flame serpent flew towards him. The captain waved his arms and the serpent disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

Katara watched in confusion as the smoke swirled around the captain, leaving him coughing on the floor. When the smoke cleared, the Blue Spirit stood with his arms outstretched.

"You're alive!" shouted Katara joyfully.

Zuko charged forward as flames leapt from his hands and swirled around his body before turning into a great wall of fire. He pushed his arms forward and the wall was unleashed upon the captain. The captain screamed as he raised his hands and the flames swirled around him, leaving him unharmed.

Zuko flipped over the captain and landed beside Katara who looked at him in amazement. Zuko raised his hand and the air in front of him heated so much that the captain had to draw his hand back to avoid getting burned. Zuko faced the captain in a bending stance and motioned for Katara to do the same.

"You're a bender too?" she asked as she moved into a bending stance.

Zuko nodded as he ran forward and twisted around, unleashing multiple fire blasts at the captain who quickly blocked them before unleashing his own attack.

Katara watched her rescuer deflect the attack and raise his hand as multiple jets of fire leapt from his fingers.

"That's Zuko's form." she said in awe.

The captain was about to kick a great fire blast at Zuko before he was knocked to the ground as a powerful wave of water crashed into his side. Katara approached the fallen bender and stood by Zuko in a bending stance.

The captain smiled as he unleashed a powerful fire attack at Katara.

"No!" screamed Zuko as he broke his bending stance and turned towards Katara.

"Fool!" yelled the captain as he swung his arms and the fire was redirected and hit Zuko, throwing him backwards. Zuko's last look was Katara running towards him before he passed out from the pain.

The captain laughed as Katara looked at her fallen rescuer and she turned to face the firebender.

"What are you gonna do?" mocked the captain.

Katara made a claw motion with her hand and the captain was knocked to his knees and he looked at Katara in fear.

Katara maneuvered out of her bloodbending stance and waved her arms, calling the water from the air to her body. Katara spun around and expanded the water into a giant wave that crashed into the captain and he was thrown backwards.

Seeing their captain defeated, the rest of the benders fled back to their ship.

Katara ran as fast as she could to her rescuer and she placed her hands on his chest. Katara closed her eyes as water encased her hands and began to glow. Katara moved them around his chest and his wounds were healed instantly as he began to regain consciousness.

"Don't worry." said Katara gently as she looked at him with love in her eyes, "I'll get you out of here."

Adrenaline kicking in, Katara picked up Zuko from his arm and helped him walk all the way back to the beach in front of the house. With a groan, Zuko dropped to his knees and laid on the sand, breathing heavily.

"I'm happy you're okay, you need your rest now." said Katara with a smile as she knelt beside him and gazed fondly at him.

"Thank you again for saving me."

Zuko could not respond even if he wanted to. He was in pain but seeing her look at him like that made him feel happier than he had ever been. That happiness disappeared as he realized that the look Katara was giving him was for the Blue Spirit, not him.

Katara leaned over Zuko and placed her hand on the back of his head to unhook the mask. Zuko tried to resist but gasped in pain as he moved too sharply.

"Ssshhh, it's okay." said Katara as she unhooked the mask.

Zuko took a deep breath to calm his nerves as he felt the mask being pulled from his face.

Katara pulled the mask off and gasped at what greeted her eyes.

**Wow only one more chapter to go before the ending :) Last chapter will be up on Thursday!!**


	10. Revelation

_Authour's Note: This is the lat chapter of the story!! For info about a sequel read the message in bold and trust me...the sequel's good and has fluff, action, and adventure. _

"Z-Zuko?" gasped Katara in shock.

"Hey Katara." said Zuko softly as he looked deep into her eyes.

Katara couldn't speak as she gazed at Zuko below her.

"If you help me up I can explain this to you." he said with a small smile.

Katara nodded and held out her hand to pull him up. Zuko reached to grab her arm and as soon as they touched, their skin tingled. Using all of her strength, she pulled Zuko to his feet and right against her body.

Zuko's stomach fluttered as his face pressed into her shoulder and he breathed her sweet scent. He knew then that he would be whatever she wanted just as long as he could be with her.

"He feels so perfect." said Katara to herself as she relaxed into his touch.

"Zuko, we have to talk." she said softly.

Zuko nodded his head and he stepped back to give her some room. Zuko took a deep breath as he looked her up and down. She truly looked beautiful under the light of the full moon. Her eyes glowed brightly and her hair was slightly darker than normal.

"Zuko…what was that? Are you the Blue Spirit?" asked Katara in shock.

"Yes." he whispered.

"But how I-"

She was interrupted as Zuko closed the distance and softly pressed his lips against hers. Zuko's heart raced as he softly placed his hand on her shoulder while he took in the wonderful emotions of their kiss.

Katara looked at him with wide eyes until she felt herself melt into the kiss. Her eyes closed as she wrapped an arm around his waist and kissed back.

Zuko felt her respond to the kiss and he pulled back.

"What's wrong?" she asked.

"That's only ever happened in my dreams," he said in awe as he placed a finger on his lips.

"How does it feel now?" she asked with a grin.

"Better than I could ever imagine."

"But I kissed you before, after you saved me the first time." said Katara curiously.

"No you didn't," said Zuko solemnly, "You kissed the Blue Spirit."

Katara looked down when she noticed a sad look cross over Zuko's features.

"This was the first kiss you gave Zuko…gave me." he said as he looked into her eyes.

"So now you know…" said Zuko as he looked down to the floor.

"But why did you hide it from me?" asked Katara.

"Because I was afraid." responded Zuko quietly.

"Afraid of what?"

"I was afraid that you wouldn't love me!" yelled Zuko.

Katara looked at him with wide eyes as he blushed a deep crimson and he shifted his weight back and forth.

"I gave up the identity of the Blue Spirit a long time ago but I brought it back because I couldn't afford being recognized while saving you. After I brought you back from the ship I couldn't help but kiss you. After you woke up you followed me and kissed me again. You looked at me with so much love in your eyes and I knew that you would never give Zuko that look. I fell in love with a girl who loved another part of me. I've been living with that since that night and I finally got a chance to tell you but I had to turn into him again to save you." explained Zuko. "You gave him that look again… I've been fighting with the fact that I had to tell you sooner or later but now I know." he said as he looked up at her.

"Know what?" she whispered.

"That I don't care who you think I am as long as I'm with you." said Zuko quietly. "I love you Katara."

"You…love me?" she asked.

"More than anything, something changed between us after our mission and I don't want this to stop I-"

Zuko couldn't finish because Katara rushed forward and grabbed his face in her hands. Looking into his eyes lovingly, Katara pressed her lips to his.

Zuko melted into the kiss and her warm embrace immediately. His dreams were coming true but this was better than a dream…it was reality. Zuko pulled her into his arms as he fully responded to her kiss. He wrapped his arms around her and lovingly ran his hands through her hair.

Katara's eyes fluttered as she felt him kiss her back. She wrapped her arms around his waist and she pressed her lips even more firmly into his, deepening the kiss.

When the kiss finally broke, they remained in each other's arms as Katara rested her head on his shoulder.

"I love you too." she whispered.

* * *

"Well it's about damn time!" said Suki in triumph as they watched the two teens embrace in the moon light.

"Cheers to a job well done." said Toph with a broad smile.

"Who knew that former enemies would fall in love?" asked Sokka in amazement.

"Yeah…who knew." said Aang quietly.

* * *

"You what?" asked Zuko in a hoarse voice.

"I love you." repeated Katara.

"But I thought you loved the Blue Spirit." said Zuko in astonishment.

"I did too, until you took me to the play." said Katara. "I thought about it and I knew that you were the one for me and not some stranger that I barely knew for an hour before kissing him. I fell in love with you during the play and I wanted to bring you here to tell you. It's always been you Zuko, I just didn't know it until now-"

Zuko didn't allow her to finish talking because he kissed her again.

"Just be quiet." said Zuko softly as his eyes closed and he leaned in for another kiss.

Katara's eyes closed and she responded to his kiss with equal passion as their arms wrapped around each other once more, never letting go.

Zuko couldn't help but think about his life. He was banished from his home and his own family didn't want him anymore. He'd been abused and neglected all his life and now all he could think about was the comfort and love he was feeling at the moment.

As they kissed, Zuko knew that this was his home now, right here in Katara's arms, and nobody could ever take that away from him.

**And that's the end of A New Beginning!! I want to thank all of you people out there who took the time to read the story and comment on it, it reallly means alot to me, thanks alot. As for a sequel, I finally decided that Icefire Chronicles _is_ the sequel to A New Beginning so if you want to know what happens next, read Book 1 of icefire I just finished it today also and the 2nd installment of Icefire will be up tomorrow and it will be called the Savage. For those who like action its there and for those who love Zutara fluff it's there too, it's subtle yet not too subtle and there's major fluff in chapter 24 of Icefire Book 1 and...well i can't tell you, you have to read book 2 to find out!!. Thanks again for reading!!**


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